The invention relates to building construction and specifically to stair rail assemblies. The present application relates to apparatus which has the same function as the apparatus described in the applicant's earlier application Ser. No. 157,186, filed in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on June 6, 1980, U.S. Pat. No. 4,352,485. Still another apparatus is described in application Ser. No. 201,259 of the present applicant filed in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Oct. 27, 1980, abandoned.
Stair rail assemblies typically include a hand rail and a shoe rail which are disposed in generally parallel relationship. A plurality of generally vertical balusters extend intermediate the hand rail and the shoe rail. A generally vertical post at the lower extremity of the assembly is referred to as a starting newel.
The prior art includes preassembled variable rack rail assemblies which use balusters that extend into channel shaped hand and shoe rails. In one form the prior art utilizes a plurality of pins which extend through the opposed sides of the channels of the hand rail and the shoe rail. Each pin engages an axial extremity of a baluster. Such constructions have not been wholly satisfactory because the manner of construction of such assemblies is of primary interest for factory assembly of the entire apparatus and subsequent fully assembled shipment. Shipment of fully assembled structures is inconvenient for the manufacturer, the building supply dealer and the contractor. Shipment to so called "Do-it-yourselfers" of such fully assembled apparatus may be impossible since such individuals will typically not have ready access to a truck or similar transport vehicle. Another disadvantage of such prior art structures is that the pins on which the balusters are pivoted are, at least in some cases, unsightly in appearance. It will thus be seen at least some of the prior art structures which do allow variation in the angle between the baluster and respectively the hand rail and shoe rail have several specific disadvantages in addition to being generally complex and expensive to manufacture.
The structures described in the applicant's copending applications overcome many of the problems inherent in the prior art structures which did not allow variation in the angle between each baluster and the hand and shoe rails and in addition avoids the complexity and expense which was inherent in the earlier structures which did allow such adjustment.
It is a primary object of the invention to provide apparatus which will allow flexibility in orientation of the balusters with respect to the shoe and hand rails and will at the same time allow shipment in a compact form.
It is another object of the invention to provide apparatus which will be able to withstand substantial loads without resultant damage as in some prior art apparatus.
It is another object of the invention to provide apparatus which may be even more easily assembled at the individual construction site than even the apparatus described in the co-pending applications of the present applicant.
Another object of the invention is to provide at least some embodiments that will snap into locking engagement with a rail with only a slight axial movement of the baluster.
Another object of the invention is to provide apparatus which will minimize total construction costs by reducing the total cost of installing a stair rail assembly including the cost for material and labor to install the apparatus, specifically the labor required in the steps of providing the proper orientation of the shoe rail and hand rail with respect to the steps of a stairway.
Still another object of the invention is to provide apparatus which makes it easy for the user to vary the angle between both the shoe and hand rail with respect to the baluster, that is, to rack the assembly.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide apparatus which is inexpensive to manufacture.